Flavor enhancers are substances which have little flavor themselves, but which “enhance” or “intensify” the flavor of the foods to which they are added. The flavor display effected by flavor enhancers is often characterized as “savory” or “full-bodied,” and has been termed “umami” by the Japanese.
Water soluble flavor enhancers, such as nucleotide and amino acid flavor enhancers, are among the most common “umani” flavor enhancers. They are commonly available in the form of powders which can be solubilized in food substances having an aqueous phase. In the case of soups, for example, the incorporation of water soluble flavor enhancers is relatively simple, as the flavor enhancers are readily dissolved and uniformly dispersed throughout the soup's aqueous phase.
At relatively high cooking temperatures, water soluble flavor enhancers can decompose into products which provide even more enhanced flavor displays. Delivery of these flavor enhancers via aqueous phase, however, limits the amount of such flavor enhancement that can be provided. When in aqueous phase, the highest temperature that can typically be reached during cooking is about 100° C. (the boiling point of water). Most cooking systems utilizing heated fats or oils, however, operate at temperatures of from about 200° F. to about 500° F. For example, griddling operations utilize temperatures as high as about 400° F. In certain operations, such as deep fat frying, temperatures as high as about 400° F. and above are employed. However, frying oils and grilling fats contain no aqueous phase in which to uniformly disperse these flavor enhancers. Thus, the delivery of water soluble flavor enhancers via frying and grilling operations, and the enhanced flavor displays obtained at higher cooking temperatures, have not been practical.
Accordingly, in order to take full advantage of the flavor benefits that water soluble flavor enhancers can deliver, it would be desirable to provide a cooking oil comprising uniformly dispersed, water soluble flavor enhancers.